🤝 Strengthening Partnerships for Africa’s Human Capital Agenda On the sidelines of the Sixth Ordinary Session of the African Union Specialised Technical Committee on Social Development, Labour and Employment (STC-SDLE-6) in Windhoek, Namibia, AUDA-NEPAD held a productive bilateral meeting with H.E. Judith Nemadzinga-Tshabalala, Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour (@deptoflabour) of the Republic of South Africa. The discussions focused on strengthening collaboration across our Human Capital and Institutional Development (HCID) portfolio, with particular emphasis on skills development, employment creation, social protection and the just transition. The meeting explored opportunities to deepen collaboration through flagship initiatives including the Skills Initiative for Africa (SIFA 2.0), Industrial Skills Week Africa (ISWA) and the African Critical Skills Bank (ACSB), while strengthening alignment between skills development, industrialisation and labour market demand. Through SIFA, we are currently investing more than EUR 7.5 million in South Africa to strengthen technical and vocational education and training. This includes two flagship projects valued at over EUR 3 million each, including support to Capricorn TVET College in Seshego, Polokwane, and training programmes in Thembisa focused on the repair and maintenance of air conditioning and refrigeration systems. An additional four innovation projects, each valued at approximately EUR 400,000, are supporting training in hairstyling, renewable energy, artificial intelligence (AI), ICT and digital technologies. Discussions also highlighted Industrial Skills Week Africa (ISWA) as a platform for connecting skills development with industrial transformation. A key milestone will be the planned showcase of a new Volkswagen vehicle model assembled in Africa using African-produced components, in partnership with the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM), demonstrating the growing potential of regional value chains, local manufacturing and demand-driven skills development. The meeting further recognised South Africa as a beneficiary of our Social Protection and Just Transition agenda, underscoring the importance of protecting vulnerable workers while preparing Africa’s workforce for emerging industries and the future of work. Together, these discussions reaffirmed the shared commitment of AUDA-NEPAD and the Government of South Africa to advancing Agenda 2063 through strategic investments in skills, employment, industrialisation and social protection, creating opportunities that improve livelihoods and strengthen Africa’s human capital. #STCSDLE6 #Agenda2063 #HumanCapital #SkillsDevelopment #Employment #SocialProtection #JustTransition #SIFA #ISWA #ACSB #TVET #AAAM #Automotive #Industrialisation #AUDANEPAD #SouthAfrica

🤝 Strengthening the Africa-Europe Partnership for Human Capital Development On the margins of the Sixth Ordinary Session of the African Union Specialised Technical Committee on Social Development, Labour and Employment (STC-SDLE-6) in Windhoek, Namibia, we held a high-level bilateral meeting with Mr @GilbertFHoungbo, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (@ilo). The meeting focused on the successful finalisation of two flagship European Union-funded Team Europe Initiative (TEI) programmes: the EUR 10 million Social Protection Programme and the EUR 8 million Opportunity-driven Skills and VET in Africa Programme, both expected to be signed later this year. The bilateral meeting reaffirmed the strong partnership between our AUDA-NEPAD, the International Labour Organization and the European Union in advancing Agenda 2063 through strategic investments in human capital development, social protection and skills for the future. The EUR 10 million Social Protection Programme will support the implementation of our Strengthening National Institutions Supporting Vulnerable Communities (SNVC) Programme and the operationalisation of the Comprehensive African Social Protection Framework (CASPF), strengthening national institutions and supporting Member States to design, finance and deliver inclusive, integrated and shock-responsive social protection systems. The EUR 8 million Opportunity-driven Skills and VET in Africa Programme will strengthen Africa’s skills ecosystem through the establishment of the Africa Critical Skills Bank (ACSB) and the Africa Occupational Standards Development Framework (AOSDF), supporting Member States to anticipate future skills needs, harmonise occupational standards, strengthen skills recognition, and improve workforce competitiveness across the continent. The meeting also recognised the growing importance of innovative financing for social protection, including ongoing discussions on debt swaps for social protection, as a mechanism to expand fiscal space and accelerate investment in Africa’s human capital and social development priorities. Together, these flagship initiatives represent a significant milestone in translating continental policy commitments into practical implementation, strengthening institutions, expanding opportunities, and building a more resilient, inclusive and prosperous Africa. #STCSDLE6 #Agenda2063 #TeamEurope #SocialProtection #SkillsDevelopment #TVET #HumanCapital #EU #ILO #AUDANEPAD #GlobalGateway #DebtSwaps #SNVC @_AfricanUnion @EU_Partnerships @EU_Commission @Enabel_Belgium @ilo @AFD_en @ecowas_cedeao @OECD_Social @OECDdev @AfDB_Group @afreximbank @_AfricanUnion @giz_gmbh @KfW @EU_Commission @AECID_es @gatesfoundation @MastercardFdn @RockefellerFdn @UNESCO @ilo @UNFPA @UNDP @CIDCAofficial @UNIDO @nardosbthomas